Using Solar Shades to Reduce Air Conditioning Costs

“When it comes to window coverings, I often see venetian blinds, wooden louvered shades and the old fashioned pull-down cloth blind, but don’t yet see solar blinds. I have mentioned this to some clients and commonly get the response “Well, since regular screens darken the room, solar blinds must be even darker.” The common window screen has a small benefit on reducing the sun’s rays, but it’s minimal. Further, conventional screens do not reduce the glare in a room.

Reduce Air Conditioning Costs

The summer sun’s rays produce approximately 230 BTU per square foot. This means a large picture window facing south, with an opening of five feet high and six feet long, allows nearly 7000 BTU into your home. This of course, translates into the required cooling load to counter-balance this summer solar gain. As the climate changes, use of air conditioning is rising, dramatically, resulting in more and more electricity being used to feed these units.”

Using Solar Shades to Reduce Energy Costs

“Independent testing shows that most of these shades reflect around 70% of the radiant heat; redirect over 60% of the sun’s rays and reduce the damaging UV rays by close to 90%. If you have a significant number of windows, this could translate into savings upward of 30-40%. Along with the obvious benefits, solar shades have a number of side benefits; they reduce glare, allow some degree of daytime privacy and protect your floors and furniture from fading.”